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Family Laws

With the UK’s ever increasing diverse society there has been a change to the traditional and perhaps outdated perceptions of how relationships should be formed between partners. There is no longer such a strong emphasis on marriage ever since the increase of cohabitation and the introduction of civil partnerships.

If you are in a relationship then it is important to be alert of how the law views your status as it may impose certain ramifications that have a significant impact on your life.

In this section our free legal advice will cover:

Marriage

Cohabitation

Civil partnerships

Marriage

As society constantly changes it proves difficult to define what marriage is. There are many different reasons why people marry as the significance of marriage varies from person to person. While some people may marry for love, some may marry for religious or economic reasons. Whatever the reason for marriage, the law has stepped in and produced some rules to govern the marriage process. This section will also cover legal issues relating to marriage such as prenuptial agreements and marriage and tax.

Cohabitation

Cohabitation is when a couple live together but are not married. In this circumstance many people mistakenly believe that the law will impose a ‘common law marriage’, however they do not realise that cohabitants do not have legal recognition. Therefore the law does not provide the same protection for those that are married to those who cohabit. Nevertheless there are fortunately a few measures that cohabitants can take to give themselves some legal protection for whatever the future may bring.

Civil partnerships

With the introduction of civil partnerships same sex partners are now allowed to enter into a legally binding contract that resembles the same legal bond as the traditional marriage. This means that a civil partnership attracts some of the same legal duties and responsibilities that a marriage offers, details of which will be given in this section.